A former planning commissioner says the hiring of a city public relations person has “left a lousy taste in my mouth.”
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
A new contract for Susan Shaw to head the city’s public relations and fundraising efforts has once again sparked controversy. Former Planning Commissioner Richard Carrigan says Shaw, who was the only person to apply for the position, is getting the job in a noncompetitive process because of what he says is a close relationship she has with City Councilmember Sharon Barovsky. The council member says Carrigan, an occasional friend, is obsessed with her.
Shaw was hired last fall on a six-month contract to be the city’s public relations officer. At the time, several traditional City Council opponents complained that Shaw, who helped the city raise $1.5 million toward the Chili Cook-Off site purchase, was designated to the position, rather than it being advertised. In response, the city said it would send out a request for approval, or RFP, notice after her contract expired. That was done, but Shaw was the only one to apply for the job.
However, Carrigan says the reason nobody else applied was because the RFP could only apply to her, and its advertisement was minimal. The RFP states the person must “have experience in raising funds for capital projects in the Malibu area.”
“Obviously, there was only one applicant because of the restriction,” Carrigan said. “I think the RFP was a joke and was designed for Susan Shaw.” He also complained that the RFP was only printed in the Malibu Surfside News and the city’s Web site.
Carrigan further said that Barovsky and Shaw have a close relationship, noting that Shaw lived with her briefly after the 1993 fire, and that the two have shared office space and worked together on a newsletter. He also said they have frequently eaten lunch together.
Barovsky heard similar comments from Carrigan in the fall during the council meeting when Shaw’s previous contract was approved. She said this week, “Mr. Carrigan has become obsessed with me… There’s a small group in Malibu that are always suing or spewing. I don’t find it pleasant, but I’ve come to accept it.”
Barovsky made no effort to deny the connections that Carrigan alleged she has with Shaw. But she said the former planning commissioner has exaggerated how close the relationship is.
The council member said, “I have very little social intercourse with Susan. But we have certainly known each other over the years, just as I know hundreds of people in Malibu. [Malibu grants coordinator] Barbara [Cameron] is a friend. Should we fire her?”
Barovsky said she did not believe the RFP only applied to Shaw, and said she was surprised others had not applied because there were people who had done fundraising in Malibu, including those who raised money for the new Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue building. City Manager Jim Thorsen said in a March interview with The Malibu Times that he was not surprised there were no applicants other than Shaw because the city was looking specifically for a person who had done fundraising for a capital project in Malibu.
“I think it’s kind of a very tough niche to get into,” he said in March.
With the new contract, which the council will vote on Monday, Shaw will receive a raise from $5,000 per month to $6,000 per month. Her job title is also changed from public relations officer to capital campaign coordinator. Shaw’s duties include public relations, creating the city newsletter and fundraising.
Shaw did not return a call for comment.
Carrigan said he plans to attend Monday’s meeting to speak out against the “cronyism” that he said “has left a lousy taste in my mouth.” Barovsky said she might recuse herself from the vote.
This is not the first time Barovksy and Carrigan have clashed. But they have also been good friends too, often collaborating for political purposes.
In 2002, Carrigan held a fundraiser at his home to support the City Council candidacy of Barovsky and Andy Stern. The next year, Barovsky and Carrigan were on the opposite sides of the Measure M campaign, with Barovsky supporting it and Carrigan challenging it. The two exchanged bitter words in the newspaper later that year after Barovsky fired Deirdre Roney as her planning commissioner for an alleged Brown Act violation. Carrigan said the act was revenge for Roney not supporting Measure M.
Carrigan and Barovsky’s relationship was renewed the next year when the Malibu Bay Co. offered to sell the Chili Cook Off-site to the city. The two could be seen together at various fundraising efforts.
Their relationship tanked again in 2006 when Carrigan filed a lawsuit to prevent Barovsky from running in the City Council election, alleging that she was termed-out. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge agreed with him, but a Court of Appeal panel overturned the ruling.